S9·BBC-01 READY Rev 2.026

How much brand can your category reward?

Three dials. One honest range. Built on the framework from Why brand is a budget line, not a vibe.

01 Annual revenue

Your last full year's top-line. Roughly accurate is fine — the output is directional.

02 Category

Pick the closest. Each rewards brand spend differently.

A Premium / prestige / luxury Pricing power lives in perception. B B2B · low switching cost Informed buyers comparing features. C B2B · high switching cost Long contracts. Lock-in handles retention. D Consumer / prosumer SaaS Identity-adjacent purchase. Aesthetic matters. E Commodity / operational moats Customers compare on price or distribution.

03 Current brand spend

As a % of annual revenue. Brand only — not all marketing. Ignore demand-gen and paid acquisition.

0.50 %

Drag the slider (0%–5%), or type a value below.

Recommended brand budget · per year Premium / prestige / luxury

$100K → $250K

1.00 – 2.50 % OF ANNUAL REVENUE

0.50%

0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5%+

STATUS

Set your inputs.

Why this range

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Get an honest read →

Open the math

Each category sits on a spectrum from perception-led (brand earns most of the premium) to operations-led (it earns least). The ranges below are what we've seen work for clients, not laws of physics.

A · Premium / luxury: 1.0%–2.5% of revenue.
B · B2B, low switching cost: 0.6%–1.4%.
C · B2B, high switching cost: 0.3%–0.8%.
D · Consumer/prosumer SaaS: 0.8%–2.0%.
E · Commodity: 0.1%–0.5%.

"Brand" here means spend that compounds: identity, narrative, owned media, the writing under the writer's name, the events you host. Not demand-gen, not paid acquisition.

The lower bound of every range assumes a brand already established. Rebuilding from zero? Push to the upper bound for 18 months and don't budge.